Precious Than Diamonds

Chapter Seven

What if the police or the investigation team or those people found out? What was he thinking? How come he always expects to get everything without earning them and then only ruining them right away? Aled thought. He was sitting in his office for the last two hours alone. Not accepting any appointments for anyone. Canceled two very important meetings. Aled always looked out for Dave because he was his blood. After he lost his parents his uncle and aunt raised him with all the luxuries and riches. He was the child they always needed to be proud of, to be parents with purposes. Dave was always a troublemaker since he was ten. He smoked weeds that early. Got expelled for irrational behavior from uncountable numbers of schools and institutions, drug usages. He didn't spare any illegal activities except for murder by the time he reached his teen phase. Sometimes Aled suspected that Dave had some secret murder cases. Never took studies or works seriously. The family money always protected Dave but he definitely destroyed the name of the family itself. Yet Aled took him as his own brother because of uncle and aunt's genuine love. He saved Dave many times at college. Never once said 'no' whenever Dave needed money even when he needed the money to cover something inappropriate he had done. But he never showed signs of taking responsibility for his life or his family and he lost his parents' trust. It was obvious that uncle willed all his properties to me. Aled tightened his lips. The things Dave did made it inevitable that he would be disinherited from his father's wealth. But being disinherited didn't stop him from getting involved in dangerous things. And Aled never for once stopped providing Dave. Dave was unwilling to work. Even after getting married, he wanted Aled to keep providing for him all for free. What more could I do out of love and gratitude? Just because he is my blood? Aled was feeling dizzy and it was difficult for him to breathe. And today, he brought drugs to the very company, the very home? Like it was not enough to shame he brought already? It would take only one scandal like this to destroy all the reputation and business even if I manage the court cases and stuff! The competitors fantasize day and night to find out a scandal like this. If the law somehow spared me, the rivals wouldn't. Aled was so angry now he started feeling numb. 

"It's Miss Jazie who wants to have a moment..", Olivia rolled her eyes.

"What...ah...let her in...yes...tell her she can have a moment for sure...I am sure she won't make it long...Right, Olive?", he spoke like a person who got poured a glass of cold water on the face at 3 AM and woke up in a shock.

"I'll let her in", Olivia gave that wicked smile with the eye roll.

Aled's heart started to race faster and was increasing by the minutes. He was feeling totally awake and aware now. His threads of thoughts were all ripped. He tried to hold on to the flow of anger and anguish and bitterness he had just a moment ago but he couldn't. He couldn't be upset about what just happened. The big trouble seemed quite insignificant now and he felt guilty that it was not getting the rightful attention it deserved. He felt an urge to go to the washroom and check if he was looking his best but he thought it might keep Jassie waiting so he decided to keep sitting where he was. "This time I will see Jazie. See very well. This time I will do it right. I will be brave", he told himself and breathed deep. He felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He felt embarrassed and excited all at the same time.

"May I?", the voice startled Aled though he tried his best to hide it.

"Sure. Miss Jazie. Jazie, like the Jasmine, did I say it correctly this time?", he tried to focus and look closely this time like he promised to himself. 

"Yes", her 's' sounded like an echo and it kept ringing in Aled's ears like an elongated whistle. 

Aled and Jassie both were silent for a whole minute. Aled looked at Jassie but he wasn't really seeing anything. The whistle took all his attention. He forced himself back to sense and noticed that his sight was blurry. He started to feel nervous. Yet he managed to ask, "You said...You needed to talk to me about something...I hope I have the correct information?", he felt very confident and bravoed himself for being able to keep on track and complete a whole sentence without making a fool of himself like he did last time Jassie came here. 

"I needed that, yes", said Jassie. Her voice had a unique mixture of bold and soft like a skilled jazz singer belting her notes as Barbra Streisand did. But Aled felt a clench in his chest because he just understood that he was looking at her lips and his sight was clear now. Her lips were the plainest lips were dark red and too defined with uplifted corners. He felt like he was looking at an ancient painting of Aphrodite. His gaze started to travel all over her face and that was the moment she blinked her eyes. Now it grabbed his attention to look properly at them. Her eyes were like emeralds, but deeper in green, but they were reflecting two extremely bright stars from the dark black pupils. That was when he noticed her eyes were not even blue. But those stars were so defined and bright he fell spellbound at that moment. He felt that he was a deer in a dark forest and a rush of bright light was thrown upon his sights. He felt like he would never be able to break from that spell, those two stars would keep him possessed there forever until the last moment of his life. What is this? What is happening to me? Is there anything wrong with me or with her? He asked in his head. 

"Forgotten", Jassie pronounced each letter clearly.

"Wha-what? Sorry, I was thinking about a project I started recently. I didn't really listen to you mindfully. My bad, could you repeat?", Aled started to get very nervous, "Please?", he added. And he understood immediately that this extension was a bad idea.

"I have forgotten.", her black eyes got another layer of blackish shadow right now, "What I wanted to talk about, I mean."

Aled couldn't find a word to say to this. He noticed a strong brainstorming happening in his head. "Just say something, you i***t", he talked in his head. "Something, anything, but must be nice!", he started panicking now, "Come on already, Aled Jay."

"It's alright. I always have this. And I hear people experiencing this every day, it's the most common thing. You know? Even today...what happened was...", he realized he talked too much, "I mean, totally fine. Feel free to come to tell me when you remember again, I'm sure it was important.", he forced a smile which he was sure, resembled very much to Arnold Schwarzenegger's robot smile attempt in Terminator 2. 

"Thank you", it seemed that Jassie did a slight bow while saying this. But only with her face. She took a step back facing Aled, her gaze was lowered to the floor until she reached the door. She touched the doorknob and that was the first time she turned her back to Aled since she entered this room. She opened the door as smoothly as the wave of a wand and left. Aled was drinking from the mesmerizing moves he just watched and bravoed himself again for being able to look at her dress. She was wearing something long and it was purple. But couldn't decide what dress it was. But he would definitely remember her hands. Her hands! Her hands were long and bigger than they were supposed to be. They looked strange and not proportionate to her body. That's why those were the most unique looking hands Aled ever saw in his life.